from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English

n. The act of aiding one's self, without depending on the aid of others.

n. The right or fact of redressing or preventing wrongs by one's own action without recourse to legal proceedings, as in self-defense, distress, abatement of a nuisance, etc.

n. developing one's capabilities or solving one's own problems, especially psychological problems, without the assistance of a professional, by independent study or by association with other individuals having similar interests.

Examples

Here, they're all playing nicely at moguldom and at mentoring, professing a commitment to nurturing talent and using the term "support system" in a way that splits the difference between the jargon of self-help and the language of networking.

Supreme Court orders Google Australia to release details of creators of website labelling self-help guru Jamie McIntyre a 'thieving scumbag' INTERNET giant Google has lost a landmark legal battle that is expected to open the floodgates to online litigation against anonymous online commentators.